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With more and more airline companies around the world grounding their flights due to surround closures and take a trip limitations, one just recently released airline-related crypto exchange might be about to feel more direct repercussions.
Carefully connected with the affordable air provider Norwegian Air Shuttle Bus, Norwegian Block Exchange (NBX) is a brand-new crypto exchange that opened for the basic public as just recently as March 5th. With the present airline company market crisis, nevertheless, Norwegian Air has actually seen its share rate dropping around 80% given that February. Today, the Financial Times reported (paywalled) that the business is to name a few local airline companies that are thinking about to request for state help.
Although Norwegian Air is not an investor in NBX according to openly offered information, the airline company has actually been necessary for the exchange as a preliminary consumer for their freshly developed service for making ticket purchases with crypto. In addition, the exchange has actually actively marketed that traders can make air miles by trading, which can be later on redeemed for flights on Norwegian Air.
With this background, Cryptonews.com connected to the CEO at NBX, Stig Kjos-Mathiesen, for remarks about what the exchange anticipates as its future without the support of among Europe’s biggest airline companies.
Inquired About whether NBX has actually made plans for additional advancement of the exchange without the airline company by its side, Kjos-Mathiesen stated that he did not wish to comment on the airline company’s present scenario, although he worried that the airline company’s payment service is “a minor part” of NBX’s business.
“Norwegian is a pilot customer for NBX, but the intention has always been to offer the payment solution commercially in several industries,” the NBX boss stated while describing that offering access to DeFi (decentralized financing) procedures is now a focus location for the business.
“The most important focus for NBX is to offer our customers access to DeFi products. Our exchange is an important part of making it simple and seamless for our customers to move between different DeFi protocols and networks. This has been on our roadmap for the past year and we hope to be able to launch this during the spring,” he stated.
Inquired About the changes we are seeing in the more comprehensive economy as a result of the present infection scenario, the CEO stated that a financial recession, in his view, is not always bad for the market, and might even work to “accelerate the adoption” of cryptocurrencies and digital properties.
” The possibilities used by cryptocurrency to make push deals that are final is something that will reinvent the payments market. Today’s techniques are extremely out-of-date. Our company believe this [the economic downturn] can speed up the adoption of cryptocurrencies and making use of digital properties in basic,” Kjos-Mathiesen described.
As reported, NBX just recently protected a financial investment of some USD 1.65 million from regional cost savings bank Sparebanken Øst to continue the advancement of the exchange, the first such financial investment in the crypto market by any bank in Norway.
Stig Kjos-Mathiesen is the son-in-law of Norwegian Air creator Bjørn Kjos and a former head of workforce preparation at the airline company.


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Google boosts spending on lobbying
Google spent more than $1 million on lobbying in Washington in the third quarter, according to a report by The Associated Press.
That's a 50 percent increase from the July-September period last year, according to a recent disclosure statement, the AP wrote.
Through the first nine months of this year, Google's lobbying costs came to $2.9 million, a 41 percent increase from the same time last year. That contrasts with a 2 percent decline in Google's companywide expenses during the same period.
Google has been beefing up staff in its Washington office and is engaged in multiple regulatory and legislative concerns. Its settlement with book authors and publishers for digital book searches is being investigated by the Justice Department's antitrust division. The Federal Trade Commission has examined board ties between the firm and Apple, now a rival in mobile phone software and services. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company has been advocating for broadband access rules, known as net neutrality, at the Federal Communications Commission. Its foray into phone services with Google Voice has also drawn scrutiny by competitors and the FCC for blocking certain long-distance calls.
Google, which dominates online search, has stirred controversy with its rapid expansion into other areas. While most of its revenue still comes from online advertising through its search business, the company has spread into industries including telecommunications, publishing, news, music, maps and mobile phone software.
Colleague Rob Pegoraro wrote a good Fast Forward column last Sunday about Google's recent push into online navigation, and how the company continues to barrel its way into new businesses with varying degrees of success.
In a recent visit with editorial board members and reporters at The Washington Post, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt gave a glimpse into the future:
"Look, we're a disruptive company," he said. That's the nature of the Web, which is transforming the business landscape and society. So as Google gets into more business lines and traditional business models are challenged by the Web, it's no wonder the company is being looked at more closely in Washington, he said.
But he was unapologetic, saying that Google answers first to consumers. And the moment people begin complaining about the company's services is when they will rethink their business decisions, he said.
November 4, 2009; 3:32 PM ET
Categories: Antitrust , DOJ , FCC , Google , Net Neutrality
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The subscription service, while initially limited to the two aforementioned consoles, is also planned for release on tablets and other smart devices. It'll provide users with a slew of on-demand content without the need of a cable or satellite membership.
So far Sony has confirmed that content from networks including CBS, Discovery Communications, Fox, NBCUniversal, and Viacom will all be supported.
There's no word on how much a PlayStation Vue membership will cost, but we do know it will be a month-to-month service with no annual contract. A beta will be rolling out for console owners later this month, so stay tuned to GameRevolution for additional details on the service in the weeks ahead.


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The Nintendo Switch VR Labo updates have now been released for both Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey. These patches allow the games to show Virtual Reality content with the latest Labo VR set, but also seem to have quite drastically improved loading times for both games. It seems this is thanks to a new ‘boost mode’, which overclocks the device during loading screens.
The Switch’s CPU speed normally is 1.020 GHz, but while loading in Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey, it appears to increase to 1.75 GHz, which is a substantial increase. Speedrunner Alexis de Champris tweeted a comparison video, which show more than five seconds of improvement in loading time. That may not sound like a huge amount, but it’s noticeable.
Oh my. The update DID improve Shrine loading times, pog! pic.twitter.com/Mdr3onYudk— Alexis de Champris (@Pikastroff) April 26, 2019
It’s also a big deal for the speedrunning community, who will now be shaving minutes off their best times in the hunt for the fastest times. Whether we’ll be seeing this come to other Nintendo games, or even third-party Switch titles, remains to be seen. Until then, now’s a great time to jump back into Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey, if haven’t already beat them. Or if you’ve picked up the Labo VR set.


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GKV, a full-service marketing agency, named Stacey Wynia Vice President, Director of Public Relations and Social Media. With 15 years of experience in the advertising and PR field, Wynia supervises all PR and social media activities for GKV’s clients.
Prior to joining GKV, Wynia worked at Golin/Harris as an Account Supervisor for clients such as Amazon, Mattel and Toyota; at Mattel as Director of Communications, developing PR materials for Barbie and other Mattel brand consumer products; and most recently at Taylor Strategies as Senior Vice President, where she led their client services group, helping to build business organically by developing creative campaigns that drove business results, and led their anchor accounts, such as MasterCard and Diageo.
“We are excited to welcome Stacey to the GKV team,” stated Roger L. Gray, Chairman and CEO of GKV. “She brings a tremendous amount of strategic public relations and social media experience to the team and began making a positive impact for our clients on day one. We are glad that Stacey and her family made the decision to come back to her native Maryland which turned out to be a big win for GKV,” continued Gray.
Wynia received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maryland. She spent 15 years in Los Angeles and New York, and she’s happy to be back in Maryland with GKV. Wynia lives in Annapolis with her husband, Matt, and their two children, Luke and Scarlett.


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Google Meet, the video conferencing service by Google, is reportedly working on a new feature that will blur users’ background during a video call. The development was reportedly spotted in the APK teardown of Google Meet version 41.5 for Android. It is also possible that the feature may not be rolled out to users at all as Google seems to be only testing it right now. Whereas, if the feature is indeed released, Google Meet will still be far behind competitors such as Microsoft Teams that already provides the option to blur the background.
According to a report by 9to5Google, the APK teardown of the Google Meet version 41.5 for Android hinted that the company is looking at the option to automatically blur the background during a Meet call. The benefits of this feature include a more aesthetically pleasing look as well as hiding the chaotic elements in the background. However, it appears that the Google Meet version 41.5 is currently limited to only certain regions. In India, Android users can currently download/update Google Meet version 41.0 via Google Play Store.
As mentioned, Google Meet gaining background blur feature would still put it far behind its competitors such as Microsoft Teams that already provides this option. Similarly, Google Meet’s another competitor, Zoom also offers the option to replace or customize the background during a video call.
Meanwhile, Google Meet recently crossed the 50 million downloads mark on Google Play Store. The company last month also revealed its plan to add several features to the platform for better user experience. This includes layout improvement, better low-light video performance, and more.
Google Meet earlier this month was made free to everyone with a Google account and not just enterprise and education customers via G Suite, as was previously the case. Similarly, Meet integration was added to the left sidebar panel of Gmail.


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They are cheaper and better, and we can't compete so they are "insecure"
The US President, Joe Biden, is trying to stop cheap and cheerful Chinese smart cars from coming to America. The US government says it is looking into the "security implications" of letting China sell its intelligent cars, claiming that it can collect data about the drivers.
Wasted ten years and millions of quid
Apple has finally given up on its electric car project after ten years of faffing about, changing direction and leadership, and ultimately creating only stories in the Tame Apple Press.
In addition to 5G, the latest Bluetooth, C-V2X, and positioning
Qualcomm has announced the newest addition to its Snapdragon Auto Connectivity Platform, the Qualcomm QCA6797AQ, which is the industry’s first Automotive Grade Wi-Fi 7 Access Point solution.


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The Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority is on track to meet its target of exporting a little over one billion dollars worth of coffee this year. The cash crop brought in over 515 million dollars in export revenues over the first five months of the fiscal year. The export of tea and spices, also under the Authority's supervision, generated another 10 million dollars over the same period. Coffee generated over 50 million dollars in November alone, as 17,100tn was shipped abroad. The top three export destinations were Germany, Saudi Arabia and Belgium. Officials at the Authority had announced they target to export 280,000tn of coffee and revenues of a little over one billion dollars this year. The cash crop generated over 900 million dollars in export revenues last year, with the country shipping 248,000tn, mainly to the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
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Retailers expect consumers to deliver another strong holiday shopping season, even as the trade war hangs over the economy.
Even so, retail sales in November and December will nevertheless grow between 3.8% and 4.2%, to up to $730 billion, the National Retail Federation predicted Thursday. The trade group’s forecast excludes car, gasoline and restaurant sales. Holiday sales have increased by an average of 3.7% over the past five years, according to the group.
“The US economy is continuing to grow and consumer spending is still the primary engine behind that growth,” National Retail Federation CEO Matthew Shay said in a release.
The group expects retailers to hire between 530,000 and 590,000 holiday workers to help with demand. Last year, retailers hired 554,000 temporary workers, the group said.
Job growth, a low unemployment rate and rising wages will bolster holiday spending, Shay said. “Consumers are in good financial shape.”
Discount stores such as Walmart, (WMT) Target (TGT), Costco (COST) and TJX (TJX) have grown in recent years, taking advantage of bankruptcies across the sector and mall closures. Those chains’ success has often come at the expense of department stores such as JCPenney (JCP) and Nordstrom (JWN) and mall stalwarts like Gap (GPS) and Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY).
The Trump administration has tried to keep consumer goods coming from China off the list of products subject to tariffs, and this forecast suggests the administration has succeeded in shielding consumers from the brunt of the trade war.
But the administration’s latest actions on trade will soon start hitting popular holiday items, such as laptops, TVs, smartphones, toys and clothing. The administration is phasing those tariffs in over the course of a few months. Some went into effect in September, but others were delayed until December 15 to avoid driving up prices on holiday gifts.
The trade war between China and the United States, the world’s two largest economies, is weighing on retailers.
“There has clearly been a slowdown brought on by considerable uncertainty around issues including trade, interest rates, global risk factors and political rhetoric,” said Shay.<


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Kim Kardashian has said yes to her wedding dress!
The 33 year-old reality star has chosen the gown she’ll wear when she walks down the aisle to wed fiance Kanye West, and a source says she “beyond loves it.”
Unfortunately, we don’t know any details about Kim’s wedding dress, but the inside adds that it was specially crafted by a designer who is part of the world’s “elite.” Who could it be? Vera Wang? Monique Lhullier? Zac Posen?
Kim has also settled on a color scheme and her bridesmaids’ dresses.
Kim and Kanye are getting hitched in front of around 100 guests in a top-secret ceremony in Paris. Kim flew to Europe yesterday but will return to the U.S. by next Monday for the Met Costume Gala in New York City — many believe that her and Kanye’s nuptials will take place between now and then.
When Kim married Kris Humprhies back in 2011, she wore three different Vera Wang gowns, valued at around $20,000 each. While she wore a large ballgown down the aisle, most fans remember her sexy drop-waist dress with a ruffled bottom.
Last year, rumors swirled that Kanye didn’t want Kim to have Vera design her dress this time around because of the baggage involved.
Kim has said that her second wedding will be more mellow and low-key, but we still expect the fashionista to don a stunning, dramatic gown (or two, or three).


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Target leaks pictures of the upcoming Overwatch Lego sets
The first images of the Overwatch Lego sets have appeared and, goodness, they’re alluring.
The pictures come from US retailer Target, as spotted by Lego fansite The Brick Fan, which is currently crushed by web traffic. The pictures, however, have been dumped on Imgur by members of the Overwatch subreddit.
My favourite set takes place on Watchpoint: Gibraltar, where scientist gorilla Winston has set up his base. This means there’s a little Lego Winston included, along with archvillain Reaper, and Mercy and Pharah – a wonderful pairing given their iconic aerial partnership in the game.
Original Post By – Eurogamer


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03-Dec-2013 - The horsemeat crisis sparked consumers’ growing interest in local food, says Wyke Farms' boss Richard Clothier, in this exclusive video filmed at the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEAs) at the London Park Lane Hilton, last month.
02-Dec-2013 - High street baker Greggs has appointed Helena Ganczakowski as an independent non-executive director, with effect from January 2 2014.
29-Nov-2013 - Government skills minister Matthew Hancock has been impressed by an initiative aimed at fully training tomorrow’s food industry workers, spearheaded by the National Skills Academy (NSA) for Food and Drink.
27-Nov-2013 - Len Wardle’s decision to quit his role as chairman of the Co-operative Group this month, amid drug revelations about a former colleague, leads our selection of people on the move in the food and drink industry.
27-Nov-2013 - Premier Foods was the big winner at this year’s Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards – picking up the awards for Food manufacturing company of the year, Ambient manufacturing company of the year and Training programme of the year.
27-Nov-2013 - The Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) has appointed Sophia Griffiths as its new media and communications coordinator.
26-Nov-2013 - Tangerine Confectionery has appointed Benoit Testard as a non-executive director.
26-Nov-2013 - Ardo UK will improve efficiencies across its whole operations to grow in the ‘tough’ frozen foods market after winning the Food Manufacturing Excellence Award (FMEA) for Frozen Company of the Year.
19-Nov-2013 - The chairman of the Co-operative Group has quit as a result of the recent revelations surrounding the former chairman of The Co-operative Bank, Paul Flowers.
18-Nov-2013 - Food and drink shoppers are to undergo brain scanning, under lab conditions, to test their reactions to promotions and special offers as part of a new project by the University of Bangor and shopper research firm SBXL.
18-Nov-2013 - Citrus product manufacturer MMG Citrus has appointed Antonio Avalos as its new general manager.
18-Nov-2013 - Food and non-food volume sales are falling, indicating ordinary people are not feeling the benefits of economic recovery in Europe and the UK yet, according to market analyst Information Resources (IRI).
15-Nov-2013 - Domino's Pizza has appointed Sean Wilkins as its new chief financial officer designate, with effect from November 18.
15-Nov-2013 - Nestlé aims to offer 1,900 job opportunities in the UK and Ireland over the next three years, including 300 paid work experience placements, it announced today (November 15).
14-Nov-2013 - Consumers will hold onto the defensive shopping habits they have adopted during the last few years even if the UK experiences an economic recovery, according to grocery think-tank IGD.
13-Nov-2013 - Dairy firm Glanbia’s group md John Moloney has left his role, although he will continue on the board of the group’s 40% associate company Glanbia Ingredients Ireland.
08-Nov-2013 - Government skills minister Matthew Hancock will speak at The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink's keynote Skills Seminar, scheduled to precede the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards in London on November 21.
05-Nov-2013 - An alliance of the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IOPP) in the UK, the Processing and Packaging Machinery Association (PPMA) and Food and Drink Federation (FDF) aims to have a new apprenticeship scheme with a packaging technology focus in place by January.
01-Nov-2013 - A top government report on UK manufacturing has been welcomed by industry trade body the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) for reflecting the sector’s priorities.
01-Nov-2013 - The boss of Tulip’s Bodmin site in Cornwall says the business has adopted the “passion and mentality” of a start-up to achieve a “cultural transformation at the site.”
30-Oct-2013 - A government reshuffle, which saw food and farming minister David Heath and fisheries minister Richard Benyon both lose their jobs, leads our selection of people on the move in the food and drink industry this month.
28-Oct-2013 - The Welsh food industry’s first skills ambassador, who will spearhead a campaign to recruit and up-skill more workers for the sector, has been named as butcher Tomi Jones, from Llangollen.
28-Oct-2013 - The government has confirmed the food industry as one of the business sectors that will act as a Trailblazer, leading the way to reform England’s apprenticeship programme.
16-Oct-2013 - A new generation of young talent is being attracted into the food and drink manufacturing sector by a summer school run by Nottingham University.
16-Oct-2013 - This summer 51 pupils went to school to learn about the food industry and lay the foundations of a career in food and drink manufacturing.


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Tesla has announced that it made 112,000 deliveries of Model S, Model X, and Model 3 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2019. This exceeds Wall Street's expectations which were set at 106,000.
Windows 11 22635.3495 adds Start menu recommendations and more
windows 11 insider preview promo
Here's how the Surface Laptop 6 compares to Surface Laptop 5, and 4
surface laptop 6 for business
SpaceX set to begin new rideshare mission series dubbed Bandwagon
Horizon Forbidden West on PC is the definitive way to experience this game
horizon forbidden west
Amazon has shared its earnings for the fourth quarter of 2017. As expected, the company saw a large increase in income from sales. The figures were expected given the news about new Prime subscribers.
Samsung has announced its Q4 and full year 2017 earnings. The company's profits were driven by its memory business but it also saw good sales for premium OLED displays and high-end smartphones.
Samsung has reported profits in Q4 of 2016 despite the large recall of Galaxy Note7 devices after reports of explosions were reported. The earnings were driven by the memory business.
The IDC has released smartphone shipment figures for 2015. While Samsung and Apple top the chart at one and two respectively, the surprising winner for the year is Huawei.
Microsoft has released its fourth quarter earnings for the end of its fiscal year (June 30th) and the company took a 2.1 billion dollar loss because of the Nokia asset write-down.


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The 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards will be announced on Jan. 11 and we've learned that two Ford Motor Co. vehicles and two from General Motors Co. are on the short list of finalists.
The car finalists are the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Buick LaCrosse and Volkswagen Golf. The Ford Transit Connect, Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Outback round out the six vehicles to make it through the latest round of voting.
The winners, which will be decided by 49 automotive journalists in the United States and Canada, will be announced at the Detroit auto show.
Last year's voting had given the Hyundai Genesis the win for car of the year while the Ford F-150 pickup was named the top truck. For the past 16 years, US-based automakers have won the car trophy eight times, European companies have won four times and Japanese won three.
Before Hyundai won last year, no South Korean automaker had even made the finals. In trucks, domestics have won 10 times, followed by four for Japanese makes and two for Europeans.
It's interesting to note that hybrids have won four times. For this year, more than 50 vehicles were considered with 16 cars and 10 trucks making the initial ballot.


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Google today started rolling out the November security patch for its Nexus and Pixel devices. To go along with it, the company has also posted the detailed November security bulletin and uploaded the factory and OTA images for all the devices on its website.
Google Rolls out November Security Update for Pixel and Nexus Devices; Uploads Factory and OTA Images as Well
Disappointed that you were unable to order the limited edition Really Blue Google Pixel or Pixel XL through the Google Store in October before they sold out? Well, the good news is that Google has confirmed to Android Police that it will be restocking the Really Blue Pixels once again in the Google Store.
The only interesting aspect of the design of the Google Pixel and Pixel XL is the glass visor at the rear. While the Nexus 6P also had a similar glass visor at its rear, the one on the Pixel and Pixel XL cover almost half the rear of the handsets. The rear glass and the unibody aluminum design almost make it a necessity to use a case with the handsets to prevent them from scuffs and scratches.
Google introduced a very simple but handy fingerprint scanner gesture on the Pixel and Pixel XL that allows one to quickly bring up the notification bar by swiping down on the sensor. When the Pixel and Pixel XL were torn down by iFixit, it was revealed that the handsets share the same fingerprint sensor as the ones found on the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X.
Besides the difference in their screen size, battery capacity, and dimensions, the Pixel and Pixel XL are exactly the same specs. Both phones feature a USB Type-C port with fast charging support. To take advantage of the fast charging feature, Google has included an 18W charger with both handsets.
Just a week after Google released the Pixel and Pixel XL, the handsets have been rooted by Chainfire. Thanks to the new security measures and changes in system partitions introduced by Google on the Pixels, gaining root access on them turned out to be slightly complicated.
Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL sure are pricey, but they are also among the best Android smartphones available in the market right now. Running Android 7.1 Nougat, the handsets pack in plenty of new features that one can play around with.
Despite its Google branding, the Pixel and Pixel XL units sold through certain carriers in the world come with a locked down bootloader. This includes carrier models sold by the likes of Verizon in the United States and EE in the United Kingdom.
T-Mobile, the Un-carrier, today announced a promotional scheme for Google Pixel owners. Under the scheme, the Un-carrier will give you 50 percent back off ($325) on the retail price of the handset provided you sign up for T-Mobile ONE.
The 12MP rear shooter on the Pixel might not seem impressive on paper, but it has received rave reviews, with the camera easily challenging the likes of Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7. The camera is not without its issues though, with many customers and reviewers noting a “halo effect” in photos taken under certain lighting conditions.


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The gaming world has been good to Conan O’Brien in the past year and a half. The late-night talk show host’s glib (and often hilarious) videogame reviews, “Clueless Gamer,” have become a viral sensation, racking up millions of views online.
And he’s been good to the gaming world, in return. The intentionally uninformed reviews expose a variety of games, from independents to major releases, to big online and television audiences that might not otherwise take an interest. The popularity of “Clueless Gamer” has even taken Conan to the industry trade show E3 and Blizzard Entertainment’s annual geektastic BlizzCon convention.
Unknown to viewers, however, is that some of the games that O’Brien features are actually paid endorsement deals with the game companies, a show spokesman confirmed. And although paying for exposure does not guarantee the game will be featured, in at least three examples, Re/code has discovered that companies that did not pay received negative or lukewarm reviews or comments.
One source familiar with the show’s practices said about a quarter of the games that were featured on the skit were paid endorsement deals. None of these deals are disclosed to the public.
“These Clueless Gamer segments are not serious reviews nor endorsements — they are strictly comedic sketches,” the show spokesman said in an emailed statement. As such, he added, “We do not believe sponsorship identification is needed.”
“These are not reviews, they are comedy bits,” the spokesman explained. “Conan makes it very clear that he is not a qualified video game reviewer at the top of each segment.”
Federal Communications Commission rules restrict such pay-to-play practices by radio and television stations, requiring broadcasters to disclose they have received payments to air programs or include products in shows. Those disclosures generally run with the closing credits at the end of a show. The rules around cable programming are murkier.
The FCC’s so-called “sponsorship identification” rules also apply to cable operators, like Comcast Corp., but not to companies that provide cable channels and programming. The rules are pretty technical, however, and apply to cable operators who create shows. Since TBS is owned by Time Warner Inc. and not Time Warner Cable, which was spun off in 2009, it’s not clear how the FCC could take action, even if it got a complaint.
Credits disclosing the pay-for-play program could not be found on Conan’s website or the “Clueless Gamer” videos posted on YouTube, and the Conan TV show that airs on Time Warner-owned cable network TBS does not appear to have a “promotional considerations provided by” announcement over the end credits — or, for that matter, traditional end credits at all, based on a review of some recent full episodes.
In a Halloween special aired in October, O’Brien reviewed three survival-horror games: Parsec Productions’ Slender: The Eight Pages, Frictional Games’ Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Red Barrels’ Outlast. After dissing the first two titles — “forgettable,” he quipped of Amnesia — O’Brien spent most of the segment playing Outlast, praising it as “fantastic” and saying “love this game” by the end.
Parsec’s founder Mark Hadley and Frictional’s creative director Thomas Grip say no money changed hands between their studios and the show. But a spokeswoman for Red Barrels, through its PR agency TriplePoint, said the studio paid $35,000 for Outlast’s inclusion.
“When the producers showed interest in the potential entertainment value for their viewers that we presented, they came back to us saying that they would like to have Conan try the game for himself,” TriplePoint senior account executive Stephanie Palermo said in an email. “But they, of course, like most TV media aren’t going to give you those viewers for free.”
Palermo was told by show staff that the $35,000 fee was significantly lower than O’Brien’s standard rate.
“Insofar as information regarding ad sales and product integration rates, that is privileged network information to which we are not privy,” the show spokesman said in an emailed statement.
It is not immediately clear which game companies are charged this “integration” fee or if payment guarantees anything. As with Slender and Amnesia, Mojang business developer Daniel Kaplan said Minecraft’s “Clueless Gamer” review did not have a fee attached.
“We def did not pay to be on Conan,” Kaplan wrote in an email. “Buying reviews is not our thing.”
O’Brien’s review of that game was mostly negative, with multiple befuddled jabs at Minecraft’s low-res aesthetic: “They put no effort into the graphics,” he said. “This looks like a world if you have glaucoma. … My six-year-old could draw a better monster than that. Who designed this game?”
“All of the games selected are based on whether or not it would make an entertaining piece for our audience,” the Conan spokesman added. “Not all games will fit that criteria. … As with many television shows, some aspects of the program do have an [advertising] integration aspect.”
Palermo said the pay-for-play program is a routine aspect of game-marketing strategies, and said she thought all the game reviews on the show were paid placements.
“He [Conan] doesn’t see the game until after the producers have vetted it,” Palermo said. “You may pay for it, and he may hate it.”
She added that O’Brien was not asked to review Outlast favorably as a condition of the payment.
“The clip that aired was the first time he was exposed to it, with no background on the game before seeing it.”
Outside of cable TV, disclosure rules have tightened in recent years. While Conan might not run afoul of the FCC’s fairly narrow rules on cable programs, other regulators could potentially review the show’s practices.
The Federal Trade Commission has broad authority over “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” in advertising and marketing in most industries and has been more aggressive in its policing, at least online. Agency staff members have been focusing more attention in recent years to ensure celebrities, bloggers and tweeters understand they need to disclose any payments or free products they’ve received for online endorsements or reviews of products or services.
“In general terms, however, any ‘material connection’ between an endorser and an advertisement should be disclosed,” FTC spokeswoman Betsy Lordan said. “This includes payment in cash or kind, and as well as a family connection or an employee-employer relationship.”
Although Lordan declined to comment on the specifics of “Clueless Gamer,” she did point to the commission’s endorsement guidelines. Those guidelines note that while the supposed endorsement of a comedian in a TV advertisement might be understood to be a joke, a celebrity plugging a product in the normal course of a talk show interview without disclosing a paid relationship with that company would be “deceptive.”
Beyond regulatory agencies, there’s also the court of public opinion to consider. Columbia Journalism School professor Emily Bell said when some reviews are paid and others are not, there’s no wiggle room if the audience doesn’t know the full story.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a joke,” Bell said of O’Brien’s skit. “It’s still a sales method. … I can’t really see any way in which it could possibly be anything other than unethical.”
Update: Hat tip to reader Diana Santiago for flagging this video from last year’s Cannes Lions advertising festival. O’Brien acknowledges that Square Enix’s Tomb Raider, which he reviewed positively, was an “integration,” a bit of ad-jargon that interviewer Anderson Cooper seems to understand but does not interrogate.
Disclosure: One of Re/code’s minority investors, NBCUniversal, owns NBC, where O’Brien hosted two late-night talk shows between 1993 and 2010.
Amy Schatz contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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Recently filed permits confirm Scotland-born BrewDog’s wildly ambitious plans are on track for Las Vegas Boulevard, creating a huge, 30,000-square-foot rooftop complex, with enviable views of the Strip. The brewery and pub will sit above the still under construction Olive Garden and a Target retail store, taking over the roof space on the northern section of the Showcase Mall and facing the Park MGM.
Paperwork reveals BrewDog allocated $2,648,400 in construction costs alone to create a restaurant, bar spaces, retail area, microbrewery, pool deck, and new mezzanines, descriptions matching the dramatic rendering released earlier this year. Co-founder James Watt has shared the Las Vegas location will also host an urban forest, secret event space, retro game zone, and a beer museum; the brewpub produces its own ales and lagers and plans to expand its empire to more than 40 international venues.
Back in June, hundreds of former BrewDog employees accused the craft beer company and founders Watt and Martin Dickie of fostering what they called a “culture of fear” that misrepresented its accomplishments on social media. An open letter from former staff members published on the website “Punks With Purpose” accused BrewDog of being “built on a cult of personality” and claimed that the toxic work environment there caused “a significant number of people” to suffer from mental illness as a result.
Watt later apologized on behalf of the company on Twitter, saying that the brewery was focused “not on contradicting or contesting the details of [the] letter, but to listen, learn, and act.”
Initially, the brewpub hoped to debut within nine months to one year, but beer lovers should not expect the project to be complete until 2022. One floor below, digital signage for the 12,564-square-foot Olive Garden restaurant will soon be added to the building facade.


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Apples, bananas, granola bars, and 100% whole wheat bread; these were just a few of the healthy food items we promoted in corner stores in Baltimore, Maryland, as part of the B’more Healthy: Retail Rewards program (BHRR) – a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health intervention project led by Dr. Joel Gittelsohn aimed at improving access and consumption of healthy foods for African American adults living in low-income areas of Baltimore.
Today’s Cancer Research Update has a piece on Dr. Gittelsohn’s work.
Approximately 68% of adults in Baltimore are either overweight or obese, which is higher than the percentage of overweight and obese adults nationally. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In Baltimore, these diseases disproportionately affect low-income African Americans who tend to have diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in energy-dense processed fast food and sugary beverages. Read more… “Promoting Health Foods in Baltimore Corner Stores”


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Cakewalk Announces Snow Leopard Drivers For V-Studio
Now Compatible With Apple's Latest System 11/09/09
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Cakewalk today announced the release of new Snow Leopard Mac Operating System (version 10.6) device drivers for the V-Studio 100 portable music production system.
The new Snow Leopard drivers are also available for the UA-1G audio interface and UM-1G, UM-2G, UM-3G MIDI interfaces. More hardware drivers will be announced soon.
"Cakewalk is loyal to its Mac customers," said Cakewalk’s Vice President of Products & Marketing Michael Hoover in a statement, "These new drivers are just the first step in our planned support for Snow Leopard and our Mac-based consumers."


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FRIESLAND, Wis. — Alsum Farms, Inc., and long-time Wisconsin potato grower, Wagner Farms of Grand Marsh, Wis., has entered into an agreement for Alsum Farms to purchase Wagner Farms potato equipment. Alsum will be leasing land and storage buildings from Wagner Farms and continue the strong history of potato production in Adams County.
“We look forward to taking our working relationship with the Wagner and Parr families to the next level,” says Larry Alsum, President & CEO of Alsum Farms & Produce. “The partnership allows us to continue our long-term relationship with Wagner Farms and supply our growing customer base with quality Wisconsin potatoes.”
Alsum Farms operates more than 2,300 acres in the lower Wisconsin River Valley and Grand Marsh to grow Russet, Red, Gold and Fingerling potatoes. To learn more about Alsum Farms & Produce, its full-line of products or for delicious potato recipes, visit www.alsum.com.
— Alsum Farms & Produce
For more news from Wisconsin, click here.


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Cleaning and sanitation in the food processing industry has always been a matter of focusing on food safety. The COVID situation has lifted it even higher, not only does it focus on the hygiene levels of the plant but also employee safety.
Fortunately, the transmission of the virus is not through food, so it does not pose a direct threat to consumers; however, it does pose a potential threat to employees who work in close proximity to each other.
At Ecowize we have revised our cleaning and hygiene programs to respond to the threat of the virus, providing extra training for our people, adapting our processes and assessing our tools, PPE and equipment ensuring they are fit for purpose. .
We have been working very closely with large food corporations, giving our customers the assurance their people, products and brands are protected maintaining hygiene and operation during this critical time.


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Losses piling up for flower growers
Sumon Biswas cultivated roses and Gerbera daisies on four bighas of his land in Gadkhali village of Jhikorgacha upazila in Jashore district.
During the pre-pandemic era, he could earn an average of Tk 5 lakh per month.
But ever since the Covid-19 outbreak began last March, business has taken a steep dive.
"I invested Tk 4 lakh to cultivate these flowers but I was only able to sell Tk 2 lakh worth so far this year," Biswas said.
Biswas had aimed to recover the losses incurred during the initial stage of the pandemic last year.
"However, even this year has turned to losses and I cannot even go for alternative cultivation," he added.
Before the advent of Covid-19, flowers were sold across the country all year round. At the time, fresh cut flowers would be taken to Gadkhali market, where they would sell out immediately, especially on national holidays.
Wholesalers played a big role in making this happen but due to the restrictions on public movement amid a rising infection rate, few come to see the flowers.
"That's why I travel far and wide by cycle to sell my flowers but still, buyers are hard to come by," Biswas said.
Like Biswas, another 6,500 growers in Gadkhali area, known as the flower capital of Bangladesh, are being forced to travel by cycle or van to various towns and villages to sell their flowers.
Meanwhile, growers who are unable to do the same are being forced to use their flowers as food for cows and goats.
Flowers worth Tk 300 crore are grown in the country each year but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry has incurred serious losses, according to growers and traders.
Considering the situation, industry people have asked for low interest loans with two-year repayment tenures alongside other support from the government.
There are about 20,000 flower farmers in Bangladesh, of which about 6,000 are based in Jashore, producing a lion's share of the total demand.
Flowers have long been recognised as the main cash crop for farmers in the region but the repeated waves of coronavirus infections across the country has led to a disaster for them.
During the December-February period of fiscal 2020-21, when the Covid-19 situation had died down a bit, the demand for flowers began to recover since social events were back on.
But farmers' hopes of a turnaround in fortune was short-lived as the situation began to deteriorate again from March. After that, restrictions on public movement and recent nationwide lockdown took a toll on the industry.
Another farmer, Sher Ali Sardar, said growers started cultivating flowers again this year on their own initiative since they expected the situation would improve further.
"But its all over again because of the lockdown, I have never seen such an incident in my 42 years of flower cultivation," he said.
"As a result, flower cultivation in Gadkhali has come to a standstill and I don't know how to turn the situation around anymore," Sardar added.
During normal times, flower farmer Samzed Ali would sell roses door-to-door for about Tk 5 per piece.
"Now though, even if I sell 100 roses, I make almost nothing since 100 roses currently cost about Tk 10 in total," he said.
Similarly, other flower varieties, such as cornflower and gladiolus, used to sell for about Tk 20 each.
But since there is no trade, 100 flowers can be bought for the same amount.
"I have to work hard to run my family," Ali added.
Since the number of social gatherings, such as weddings and festivals, has dropped drastically amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it goes without saying that there is not much opportunity to sell flowers, according to farmer Abdus Salam.
"I am forced to take a ferry into towns or rural markets to sell flowers but even then no one wants to buy," he said, adding that he ends up feeding them to his cows and goats.
Badal Chandra Biswas, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Jashore, said about 625 hectares of land across six unions of the district were being used for commercial flower production.
"The region houses 6,500 flower farmers while there are about one lakh workers who are indirectly involved in floriculture here," he added.
Abdur Rahim, president of Bangladesh Flower Society, said Jashore caters to about 60 or 70 per cent of the country's demand for flowers.
"About Tk 500 crore worth of flowers were lost in five months of last year and three months of this year due to the coronavirus pandemic," Rahim added.
Of this, at least Tk 300 crore has been lost in the Jashore region.
So far, 300 farmers have been given loans of around Tk 2 crore, he said.
Against this backdrop, Rahim urged the government to allow social events to take place in accordance with the health safety rules as well as increase the incentives for florists.


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Recent years, on November 11th, which is believed to be the Singles’ Day, has become the carnival for Chinese people, because the online products have the great discount. On that day, the computer system will be challenged because numerous customers are fighting for the trade. Chinese market potential is infinite.
The Singles’ Day day had become shopping day a few years ago. The single persons played the joke that shopping online could console their lonely hearts, and many slogans online advocated them to buy products. As more and more manufacturers joined the team to show the on sale products, the day November 11 th is admited to be the online shopping day.
When the media reported the turnover of Single’s day, which surprised all. It reached the top of a year, what’s more, every year the turnover increases. Chinese business market is booming, while for foreign countries, they have the hard time. So more foreigners have come to China and seek for cooperation. The world is watching us and we are so proud that our country is stronger（英语作文带翻译 www.lyy5.com）.


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(Bloomberg) – In early 2020, a highly unlikely anomaly in world trade data began to emerge: China said it was selling more products to the United States than the US reported buying from China.
It was a reversal of the normal pattern and a product of the two countries’ trade war, but not an intended consequence. Instead, it was likely due to misreporting from both exporters in China and importers in the US, according to new research by economists at the Federal Reserve.
Companies in the US could pay lower tariffs if they reported a lower value of imported goods from China, while companies in China could get higher returns of value added tax if they over-reported the value of exports, argue economists.
Generally, the import value of a good when it enters a country must be greater than the value of the same good when it leaves another country. This is because import prices generally include the cost of freight and insurance, while exports do not.
Until February 2020, this was the case for bilateral trade between the US and China. US imports of goods from China were always considered to be of higher value than China’s exports to the US However, since March the opposite has been reported in almost every month.
The report highlights the difficulty of winning trade wars with economic barriers such as tariffs, contrary to claims by former President Donald Trump that victory would be easy. The distortions also reinforce arguments against Trump administration officials that US tariffs were fundamentally rebalancing the skewed trade relationship between the world’s two largest economies, in which the US has long run a large deficit.
Misreporting by US and Chinese companies explains most of the shrinking trade deficit between the US and China since the two sides began imposing tariffs on each other in 2018, argue Hunter Clark and Anna Wong, economists at the Fed. The trade balance shrank by US $ 88 billion in 2020 compared to 2017, according to his calculation. Of this deficit, $ 55 billion is derived from US tariff evasion, $ 12 billion is due to misreporting to obtain higher Chinese VAT refunds, and the remaining $ 20 billion is unexplained.
“The trade conflict had a much smaller impact on the US bilateral trade balance with China than appears at first glance when we look at US data,” they wrote. Underreporting of US imports also means that about $ 10 billion in tariff revenue may have been lost, they estimated.
China’s latest trade figures also show slow progress in meeting the purchasing targets agreed with the US under the trade agreement. Since January 2020, Chinese imports of manufactured goods, agriculture and energy amounted to almost $ 157 billion, or about 41% of the goals agreed by the two countries.
Original Note: Trump’s Tariffs Led to Billions of Losses, Fed Research Shows
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
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© 2021 Bloomberg LP


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An anthropomorphized french fry container complete with cartoonish white gloves and big blue sneakers is the memorable mascot of a new eatery in Arroyo Grande.
“We have not named him yet,” said Joe Lassiter, the owner and founder of French Fries. This aptly named dining spot specializes in burgers, corn dogs, chicken strips, and, most importantly, its own namesake.
“I’m a big guy on fries. I mean, it’s half the food,” said Lassiter, who opened the casual eatery on East Grand Avenue in February.
When customers approach the restaurant’s front counter, they’ll find a list of 10 different french fry styles to choose from: shoestring, crinkle, wedge, sidewinder, waffle, curly, seashore, steak, sweet potato, and tater tots.
There are also dozens of topping options to pick from—including chili, pulled pork, carne asada, cheese curds, poutine gravy, bacon, guacamole, nacho cheese, and much more.
Patrons can customize their own combinations of fries and toppings or order from a handful of preset signature french fry assortments. Similarly, there’s a preset burger to order, or customers can opt to build their own.
From the beginning, Lassiter’s top priority in bringing French Fries to fruition was to serve a need that he found lacking in his own community, he said.
“I wanted the pricing to be fair. I don’t want to go out to lunch and get a burger and fries and have it cost 22 bucks. It happens multiple times at multiple places. It kills me,” Lassiter said. “I should be able to get a burger, fries, and a soda for like 10, 11 bucks.”
Another focus Lassiter aimed to emphasize at French Fries was a made-to-order approach.
“Everything is cooked to order. It’s not just sitting back there on a warmer,” said Lassiter, who added that he can’t stand going to burger places where the fries are lukewarm or soggy by the time his order gets to him.
“I opened this place out of spite because I want a fair-priced hamburger and crispy goddamn french fries when I order them,” said Lassiter.
Lassiter prefers quality over speed when it comes to getting orders out, but French Fries is still relatively fast compared to similar kinds of eateries.
“Even now when we’re jam-packed, I think the longest ticket’s nine to 12 minutes,” said Lassiter who added that lines were out the door during the restaurant’s opening weekend, which resulted in 55-minute waits for some guests.
Due to the eatery’s success so far over the past few months, Lassiter has plans to expand the space by taking over a vacant building next door.
“We’re knocking down this wall here,” the restaurateur said, while pointing to the wall at the right of the restaurant, where a small mural of the french fry mascot—who Lassiter has unofficially nicknamed Fry Guy—currently rests.
Once that wall comes down and some interior renovations are complete, the neighboring space will be home to French Fries’ upcoming family amusement center with arcade games and more seating for on-site dining.
“I’m trying to cater to the younger crowd as far as the gaming goes,” said Lassiter, who revealed that the arcade will include air hockey, racing games, and more. “We want to incorporate more of a family atmosphere here, and I’ve always wanted to own some kind of family entertainment center.”
Lassiter, who also owns California Diesel and RV in Oceano, said that between the 10 types of french fry styles currently offered at French Fries, it’s hard to pick a favorite.
“But gun to my head, I’d probably go steak or seashore,” said the local business owner, who personally likes to pair his fries with a single-patty burger.
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is a big fan of shoestring fries and tater tots. Send comments to [email protected].


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More Articles for Eaton manual and automated manual transmissions
As expected, Caterpillar has announced that it will debut the first model of its full line of Cat Vocational Trucks --the Cat CT660 -- at CONEXPO-CON/AGG on March 22, 2010. The Cat Vocational Day Cab Truck models will offer several engine options, including a ...
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BSEL INFRASTRUCTURE REALTY LTD Q1 RESULTS
Realty market sentiments sink to demonetisation period level
Echoing the sentiment of the economy, a survey by Ficci, Nardeco & Knight Frank points out that the real estate sector has fallen to the level it was during the demonetisation period. Future sentiment score also dropped to an all-time low.
Godrej Construction focusing more on infrastructure as realty slowdown bites
Tthe company has already bagged an order from Metro 3 corridor a...
Indraprastha Gas Q1 profit up 24% at Rs 218 crore
Total gross sales value during the quarter rose 23 per cent to Rs 1,738 crore.
Bharti Infratel Q1 profit jumps 39% YoY
The consolidated revenue, however, increased by only 1 per cent to Rs 3,712 crore.
Corporate tax cut to boost liquidity of developers, boost demand: Realty industry
"It is a due corrective step by the Centre to uplift investor's sentiment and prompt investment back in drying up Indian economy," said Niranjan Hiranandani, President, NAREDCO.
Adani Enterprises Q1 profit up 7-fold at Rs 570 crore
Total income grew 39 per cent during the quarter under review to Rs 10,685.86 crore from Rs 7,664.20 crore in the year-ago period.
Zensar Q1 profit falls 6% to Rs 79 crore
Revenues for the period were up 20.8 % at Rs 10,66.1 crore.
Jindal Stainless reports 57% drop in Q1 profit
Consolidated net sales fell by 3% at Rs 3,263 crore. The company also incurred an exceptional loss of Rs 24 crore on account of forex movement.
Exide Q1 net up 7% at Rs 224 crore
For the year ended March 31, 2019, the company's net profit was up by 26.34 % at Rs 844 crore and net turnover by 15.26 % at Rs 10,588 crore.
Bharti Airtel posts loss but improves margins in Q1; key takeaways
Arpu rose to Rs 129 in the June quarter from Rs 105 in the same quarter a year ago.
L&T Q1 results on Tuesday; here’s what to expect
Kotak Institutional Equities projected a profit growth of 41.30 per cent on 10 per cent rise in net sales.
JSW Steel Q1 profit more than halves on lower sales
Consolidated total revenue of the company dipped 3.45 per cent YoY to Rs 19,812 crore.
Reliance Infra profit up 20%; auditor concern over business continues
Reliance Infrastructure posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 299.15 crore for the April-June quarter.
Reliance Q1 profit rises 7% YoY to Rs 10,104 crore, beats Street estimates
The company’s revenue increased by 21.25 per cent to Rs 1.61 lakh crore in the June quarter.
DLF Q1 profit jumps over two-fold to Rs 414.72 crore
The company's net sales bookings stood at Rs 705 crore in the June quarter.
Copyright © 2019 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service


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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - The retail sector's key gauge failed to make any headway in either direction Thursday despite a flurry of earnings reports that were mostly positive.
By the time the session ended, the S&P Retail Index $RLX slipped a tax to 947.71.
Take Target Corp. TGT, +1.24% as an example. The parent of Target, Mervyn's and Marshall Field's stores said fourth-quarter profits vaulted better than 20 percent to $663 million, or 73 cents a share, but the news did little to move the stock.
And that was before the conference call. On the call, CFO Doug Scovanner tempered his optimism about this year's results, but was confident that Target would meet the fiscal-year consensus of $1.75 a share. Read all about it.
But that cautionary note spooked already-jittery investors and the stocks tumbled $2 to close to $41.90.
Intimate Brands ended the day at $19.33, off 37 cents while Limited subtracted 28 cents to $18.01.
Gap GPS, +5.93% shares slid again, down 43 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $11.97 - small change away from hitting a fresh bottom -- after credit downgrades from all three ratings agencies only hours before the retailer sold $1.2 billion in convertible notes late Wednesday.
Kmart KM shares dipped 3 cents to $1.11.
Best Buy BBY, +1.69% shares bumped up after the electronics retailer did what few companies get to do: gave an upside alert to its fourth-quarter earnings, the second one in as many months. There's a story on that too.


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How Uber Freight Powers Intelligent Logistics with Datadog
Thiyagarajan Anandan, Uber Freight, shares how he and his team have created a center of excellence for monitoring and DevOps culture. Uber Freight, a division of Uber, delivers an end-to-end enterprise suite of Relational Logistics to advance supply chains and move the world’s goods. With more than 1,000 shippers across $18B freight under management (FUM), it’s critical for Uber Freight to provide a 99.99% uptime for its shippers and customers. Since migrating to the Datadog platform, Uber Freight for the first time has unlocked the full breadth and depth of their systems, thereby significantly decreasing MTTR/MTTD and delivering an improved customer experience.


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A site for the region’s Food Innovation Hub, newly named Foodeast, has been confirmed. A conditional sale and purchase agreement for land at the Tomoana Food Hub in Elwood Rd, Hastings, was signed last week.
The Government announced in September 2019 that it would commit $12 million from its Provincial Growth Fund towards the project. The centre of food innovation, estimated to cost $18m, will enable new food, beverage and agri-tech products to be commercialised and readied for market. It is forecast to add $100m to the regional GDP over 15 years and bring 500 new full-time jobs to Hawke’s Bay.
The project still has milestones to achieve before the final decision to proceed is made in November 2020, including raising regional investment of $6m.
Industry players are already showing strong interest in the facility with expressions of interest being received from potential tenants.
“They recognise the opportunities this will open up,” said establishment board chairman Tony Gray. “Capital raising and seeking expressions of interests for tenants is underway. The interest in this strategically important facility is really growing.”
Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the news that Foodeast could be up and running by the beginning of 2022 was very exciting. She thanked the Provincial Growth Fund for their support for the project; particularly the $12m of funding it had made available.
“This will be a real game changer for Hawke’s Bay. Food and beverage products are a mainstay of our regional income, contributing 70% of regional gross domestic product every year. This facility will enable our industries to access the very best minds across the region and New Zealand to develop new products and new ways of doing things to build on that success.”
The spaces will be very flexible with some parts permanently tenanted and others available for booking by industry and educational organisations for collaboration, demonstrations, events, and education and training.
A small dedicated Foodeast team will be focused on matching entities with product ideas with specialists able to help them develop, test and commercialise their products.
Hawke’s Bay’s Foodeast will be part of the Food Innovation Network New Zealand network, made up of facilities supporting the food and beverage industry. There are hubs in five regions of New Zealand, including at Massey University in Palmerston North (foodpilot) in Auckland (foodbowl), and at in Southland (foodsouth).
Having a food innovation hub in Hawke’s Bay will help users access in-depth knowledge and experience across all of the hubs.
Foodeast will be owned and managed by an entity made up regional investors including local government and private sector representatives.
Media Release – July 31, 2020


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Dalwinder Singh Dhaliwal
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This post is in partnership with Trusted Reviews. The article below was originally published at Trusted Reviews.com.
The "big four" high-end Android …
Going back as far as September, we’ve heard rumors that Samsung is preparing a premium handset under the name “Project F”, with a planned release for sometime in the first half of 2014. Now ET News is reporting that the handset may launch alongside the Galaxy S5, under the name Galaxy F.
Reportedly …Phones
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President Trump’s plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) may also impact a controversial program that allows Mexican carriers to make long-haul deliveries in the U.S.
As part of the NAFTA agreement, the U.S. and Mexico agreed to allow trucks from each country to carry goods across the border for deliveries anywhere inside each of their respective countries, but the program faced challenges from the get-go. In 2007, the George W. Bush Administration launched a trial program to expand Mexico’s trucking operations beyond the border. However, the program ended in 2009 after Congress defunded the program following pressure from labor unions.
Following retaliatory tariffs imposed by Mexico, the Obama Administration established a new pilot program in 2011 that would allow long-haul operations in the United States by Mexican drivers, beyond the 25-mile “buffer zone” that allows U.S. truckers to transfer and begin transport of merchandise further into U.S. territory. U.S. labor unions objected but failed in their legal challenges against the program, and it was made permanent in January 2015. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, together with other groups, sued the Department of Transportation in 2015 over a report that they argued was not based on sufficient data to allow for these long-haul deliveries. The program remains in effect while that case is still pending.
Safety has been one of the biggest concerns raised by critics of the program. However, a 2014 Congressional Research Service report suggests safety likely has less to do with whether the truck originates in the U.S. or Mexico, and more to do with the type of truck being used:
Drayage carriers, whose trucks make short-haul movements and spend much time idling while awaiting customs processing, tend to use older equipment. Long-haul trucks tend to carry relatively high-value goods or temperature-controlled cargo, because lower-value goods and less time-sensitive goods can be carried over long distances much more economically by rail or water. If shippers are willing to pay a substantial premium over rail or water transport to truck their product long distances, it seems plausible that they would choose a reliable trucker with modern equipment to avoid risk of delay or spoilage.
Opponents of the program are almost certain to call for its repeal as part of any new NAFTA negotiations. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), Ranking Member of the House Transportation Committee, opposes the long-haul program and has already said he plans to raise the issue with Trump Administration officials.


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Eminem’s smash album Recovery has become the first record ever to sell more than one million digital sales.
Arriving a week after the rapper reclaimed the top chart position with his new project Bad Meets Evil (with Royce Da 5’9 – read our review), the milestone also marks the first time in half a decade that any artist has scored two number one albums within a 12-month period.
"We are thrilled to congratulate Eminem on the history-making digital sales success of Recovery," Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg announced in a statement. "Over the years we've made a concerted effort to engage Em's online fan base so this achievement is especially rewarding. Eminem made an amazing album with Recovery and the fans responded in record numbers."
"Recovery selling one million digital albums is an incredible achievement by an incredible artist," Interscope Records' Vice Chairman Steve Berman said. "I have had the pleasure of working with Eminem throughout the course of his career, and I'm delighted to be a part of yet another milestone on his amazing journey."
Recovery was Eminem's sixth album to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, as well on as the R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Albums charts. The best-selling album of 2010 in the U.S. and the best-selling digital album of all-time, Recovery has now sold more than 5.7 million copies worldwide, and gained the Detroit rapper an avalanche of awards.
Eminem will also feature in a headlining performance at this year's Lollapalooza festival. Keep an eye out for coverage from CraveOnline, who will be reporting from the musical frontlines in Chi-town this year.


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The effects of chemicals in the home and the garden have become a topic of discussion in the news recently, so much so that there are proposals to ban some of them in the years to come due to how they interfere with air pollution.
Domestic chemicals can be detrimental to our well-being too, though a lot of the time we may not even notice we’re using items that contain them. In one study, for instance, it was revealed that regular household cleaning products like shampoo and oven cleaner release harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They also contribute up to half of VOCs found in the atmosphere.
Join Compost Direct, which stock mulches and other garden essentials, as they take a look into the effects domestic chemicals can have on people and ways to get rid of them in place of safer alternatives.
Examples of domestic chemicals found in the home
The effects that domestic chemicals can have when used in the home have been looked into through various studies. Although some are on their way to be banned, there are others that remain on our supermarket shelves. Examples of these include:
- Hand soap — some contain the chemical triclosan, which has been found to affect thyroid hormones in animal studies and possibly contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant germs.
- Researchers from the University of Iowa discovered that some kitchen cabinets emit PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl compounds), chemicals which are under investigation as causes of cancer.
- Garden pesticides — neonicotinoid pesticides put both honeybees and wild bees at risk. Although, the UK government has said it will support a complete ban on the outdoor use of bee-harming chemicals.
- Benzene — this is a colourless chemical that is used to make lubricants, rubbers, dyes and detergents. It can be harmful with high exposure, as it leads to cells not working correctly.
- Formaldehyde — this is found in varnishes and floor finishes and can cause sickness and long-lasting problems after high exposure.
Domestic chemicals can prove even more harmful when combined as well. The mixture of bleach and rubbing alcohol, for example, can create toxic chloroform and make you unconscious — it’s always a good idea to read the label and be cautious when dealing with these sorts of products.
What are the alternatives to domestic chemicals?
Due to their use on a day-to-day basis, it can be difficult to using every domestic chemical that’s out there now. So, what actions can we take?
Start by reading the labels before you buy household items. Look out for the harmful ingredients that we’ve mentioned above and try to stay clear of them. As their dangerous properties have become more talked about, there are now many organic alternatives that you can buy for those sorts of products. Although these might have a higher price tag, it could be worth it in the long run.
Invest in some house plants too, as studies have found these can cut the damage that is caused by domestic chemicals. Take a look at the following for example:
- NASA reported that pineapple plants can improve air quality and help reduce snoring.
- Peace Lily can reduce toxins such as benzene, ammonia, ethyl and acetone and prevent the toxins from spreading across rooms. Research found that this plant can improve air quality by as much as 60%!
- Red-edged Dracaena rids the air of chemicals including xylene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde.
Adequate ventilation and moderate temperatures should also be ensured when you’re making use of varnishes and products which give off harmful fumes. Aim to bring down humidity levels in the home by using dehumidifiers as well.


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North Carolina dealer plans 18th annual charity ride
For Chris Brewer, owner of Brewer Cycles in Henderson, N.C., being involved in the community comes second to none. Last year, Brewer Cycles led the Duke Children’s Hospital Charity Ride, which drew a crowd of more than 300 people.
A FAMILY EFFORT
The Duke Children’s Hospital Charity Ride began 18 years ago after Chris’ son Tyler received care fighting childhood cancer. Tyler, now 26, remains in remission and serves as VP of Brewer Cycles. Chris, his wife Lisa and Tyler all have a hand in the charity ride, from promotional marketing to facilitating day-of activities.
Since 1997, the charity ride has raised nearly $100,000 in donations. Brewer Cycles is recognized as a special corporate supporter of Duke Children’s Hospital and has a link on its homepage that allows people to donate directly to the hospital.
The Brewers offer a variety of opportunities for people to participate in the charity ride, including: donating door prizes, volunteering to help run the event, purchasing ride and/or raffle tickets, distributing promotional flyers, donating print services for flyers and T-shirts and donating directly to Duke Children’s Hospital.
In past rides, the Christian Motorcycle Association (CMA) has also helped Brewer Cycles by handling day-of parking and cooking the food provided to the participating riders.
In 2014, hundreds of riders showed up for the festivities, and this year, registrations are already coming in for the June 7 ride. “This year we’re having two raffles, door prizes and a nice scenic route. Traditionally, it’s going to be pretty similar to last year,” said Chris Brewer.
Brewer promises this year’s ride will be well worth the trip. “We like to focus on the ride, the food and everybody having a good time,” Brewer added. “It’s not like Daytona Beach where you have all these vendors lined up — that’s not what it’s about. We want to spend the money on the kids.”
The keys to success, according to Brewer, are simple: Stay involved in your community and take care of your customers. “We just do a good job of marketing and taking care of our customers, trying to be ‘worth the drive,’ which is our slogan. We try and live up to that — treat our customers well, and then word gets out.”
Duke Children’s Charity Ride, although predominantly focused on the charity, brings customers into the dealership and promotes business. “We always end up selling a bike or two. Somebody comes and sees a bike that they like, and they come back for it,” Brewer said. The ride is an opportunity for the dealership to touch customers and inform them of what Brewer Cycles has to offer while also donating to a good cause.
Brewer Cycles, a 2013 and 2014 Powersports Business Power 50 dealership, tries to have two to three events each year and participates in other charity events. On April 14, it hosted a Spyder Ride to promote the Can-Am Spyder and to bring all of its Spyder customers together. The event included Spyder demos, food and a two-hour ride led by Brewer. By having events spread throughout the year, Brewer Cycles is able to keep up with its customers’ needs and maintain a presence in the local area.
Brewer and his dealership take customer service seriously and rely on a successful follow-up system. After a unit is purchased, the customer receives a thank you card from the sales team, and follow-up calls are done on a weekly basis to ensure its customers are satisfied. The dealership also gives a Brewer Cycles T-shirt to each customer who purchases a unit.
“Dealers need to be present. I feel like the owner or manager needs to be out there and present, so customers see that and know they are taking care of their customers,” Brewer said. “Gone are the days of customers just walking in. You’ve got to go up, introduce yourself and go way beyond customer service. Businesses these days need to wait on their customers hand and foot.”
The dealership’s business continued to be positive in 2014 with a 20-percent increase in sales over the previous year. In 2013, “in an effort to bring more variety and in-stock options” to its customers, Brewer Cycles expanded by 12,500 square feet with additional showroom space. The new showroom houses side-by-sides, ATVs, PWC and a Spyder showcase, which allows Brewer Cycles to show off its multiple lines of top-quality brands.
So far, 2015 has seen increased sales as well with its offering of Can-Am, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, KYMCO, Motor Trike, Polaris, Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Star Motorcycles vehicles.
“It’s been really good,” Brewer said. “Comparatively speaking, 2015 is already better. Our January through March sales are higher than the same months of 2014.”
Although Henderson is a small, rural town, its proximity to Interstate 85 and U.S. Highway 1 allow for some solid traffic. Brewer says that the in-store traffic keeps the dealership busy most days.
“We have found the balance between small town hospitality and big city selection,” he added. Brewer Cycles has a wide network of social media and online marketing to help promote its business as well.
Brewer Cycles recently began sponsoring an amateur race team, equipped with a support trailer. In addition to his VP duties, Tyler Brewer serves as the team manager of the amateur dirt bike races.
“The truck is almost 70 feet long. They go to larger local races and qualifiers. We set up our tents, and our race team sells, services and repairs,” Chris Brewer said. “My son just ran with it. He goes to the line, helps the boys out, and he can relate to the [racers].”
The dealership supports more than 50 racers and plans to continue into 2015. Since the sponsorships began, Brewer says dirt bike business at the dealership has increased by more than 300 percent.
“I always raced all my life, and [Tyler] raced for a short period of time. It was my passion as well,” Brewer said. The continued growth has led Brewer Cycles to consider future partnerships with other sponsors in the racing series.
A dealership can only succeed if it has a team that can work together; such is the case at Brewer Cycles. “I have a really good staff here,” added Brewer. “I have a lot of people that have been with me for more than 20 years, and I have to give a lot of credit for our success to my employees.”


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Setria glutathione is an antioxidant ingredient that has been shown to support the immune system and overall health and wellness, the firm says.
Kyowa Hakko (New York City) says its branded Setria antioxidant ingredient is now approved as a health ingredient in Brazil’s dietary supplement and functional food markets. This approval by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) makes Setria the only glutathione ingredient approved for Brazilian use in dietary supplements and functional food.
“We are delighted that Brazilian customers looking to fight free radical damage will now have access to Setria,” said Karen Todd, MBA, RD, vice president of global brand marketing for Kyowa Hakko USA Inc., in a press release. “This is a milestone we’ve been eager to reach, and we look forward to working with our customers in Brazil to bring innovative products to market containing this high-quality ingredient.”


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Fortune magazine is excited to unveil its 2017 list of the Top 100 Mobile Game of the Year, which we are pleased to announce will be the most comprehensive list ever compiled of the top mobile games in 2017.
In addition to the list of top 100 games in our Top 100 list, Fortune Magazine will also feature a top 100 list of mobile games for all platforms, including Apple and Google Play.
This year, we are also including the top 20 mobile games that have been downloaded in over a million devices.
This year, our list of games has grown from a list of over 1,000 games in 2010 to over 4,000 in 2017, and we’re thrilled to have been able to expand our list to include more than 4,500 mobile games, which now represent more than 30 percent of the total number of mobile apps.
In addition to our list, we will also be introducing a Top 100 mobile games guide, which will include the top 10 games in each category that we’ve selected, as well as a list for the top 100 mobile apps, along with the number of downloads in each of those categories.
As we look ahead to 2018, we expect our Top 10 list to continue to grow and evolve, and will include games that were never released in the U.S. or the U


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Public Mobile Launches New Plans with ‘Digital Savings’
Telus prepaid brand, Public Mobile, announced on Monday it now offers new plans with “digital savings”. According to the wireless carrier, “Our 100% digital storefront and online support means we can pass our savings onto you.”
Back in July, Public Mobile revived 4G speed plans and today we see an adjustment of both its 4G and regular 3G speed plans.
The new 4G plans as of today, October 17, are as follows:
- $40/5GB (was $44.50)
- $50/8GB (was $55)
- $55/10GB (was $60)
- $60/15GB (was $65)
- $80/25GB (was $85)
- $90/40GB (was $95)
New 3G plans as of today (there are only 3 choices available):
Eliminated 3G plans are: $40/5GB, $50/10GB and $70/20GB from July.
Earlier this month, Public Moble launched new 4G plans at $55/8GB, $60/10GB and $65/15GB, but these see a $5 reduction.
“Along with our other affordable 3G speed plans, you will now have access to our new 4G speed plans that come with digital savings,” said Public Mobile.
Essentially, older 3G plans have been removed but have changed over to 4G, plus there are now fewer plans to keep track of. In order to get these new plans, you’ll need to switch to them online.


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Burberry, the luxury fashion house, reported that retail revenue declined 48% on year to 257 million pounds in the 13 weeks ended June 27, down 45% on a comparable basis. The company stated: "Throughout Q1 2021 COVID related government restrictions eased allowing the gradual reopening of our retail store network from peak closures at the end of March. This underpinned a progressive improvement in our comparable retail sales growth with June declining around 20% compared to a 45% decline for the total quarter. Based on our comp retail sales performance in June 2020 (-20%), we expect Q2 2021 (ended September 2020) to decline by 15% to 20%. In wholesale, we are collaborating with our partners to protect the brand and as a result anticipate H1 2021 sales declining around 40% to 50%."
From a chartist point of view, the stock price fell below the rising 50-day simple moving average thanks to the bearish gap opened this morning. Prices are trying to escape from an upward-sloping channel in place since March low. The daily Relative Strength Index (RSI, 14) fell below its previous support at 46%. As long as 1600p is resistance, investors may anticipate a further decline towards 1317p. Keep a close eye on strong support at 1017p. Alternatively, a rebound above 1600p would call for a rise towards the horizontal resistance at 1732p.
Source: GAIN Capital, TradingView


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Retail shares fell 2.5 percent Tuesday as an unexpected drop in March retail sales undermined hopes the recession might be near or even past its low point.
Sales at specialty stores last month decreased a seasonally adjusted 1.8 percent versus February, while department store sales fell 0.3 percent, the Commerce Department reported. Compared with a year earlier, specialty store sales declined 5.1 percent to $17.9 billion and department store sales dropped 5.5 percent to $16.1 billion.
Sales at all retail and food service providers slid 1.1 percent in March from the preceding month, following a 0.3 percent increase in February and a 1.8 percent rise in January. Economists were looking for a much stronger 0.3 percent gain last month.
The government figures offer a broader view of March sales than same-store sales reports from major chains, which were released last week and, hurt by a smaller-than-expected increase at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., were weaker than expected.
“Clothing and apparel stores were slashing prices at a very steep pace [in March],” said Richard Yamarone, director of economic research at Argus Research Corp. “At the same time, volumes were weak because we are in the midst of a sharp consumer recession. The combination of falling prices and extremely weak volume is a recipe for poor sales performance and that’s what we got last month.”
Yamarone said April sales, which will include Easter this year, could turn positive again.
Calling the report “disappointing,” Patrick Newport, U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight, said, “Pending April’s release, March’s estimates throw cold water on the notion that consumer spending has hit bottom.”
Some of that cold water hit retail investors as well.
The S&P Retail Index fell 8.26 points to 319.65 as the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 1.7 percent, or 137.63, to 7,920.18, after closing above 8,000 for two straight trading sessions.
Signs of stabilization in consumer spending have helped retail shares rebound more robustly from recent lows than the market overall. Retail shares are up 43.2 percent since hitting their March 6 low and the Dow is ahead a lesser 23 percent since its March 9 nadir.
Shares of The Talbots Inc. were hit particularly hard Tuesday, falling 25 percent to $3.43 as investors reacted to news of the retailer’s $366.5 million fourth-quarter loss.
Other decliners included Saks Inc., down 8.4 percent to $2.62; AnnTaylor Stores Corp., 8 percent to $5.86, and Macy’s Inc., 7.3 percent to $11.99.
Still, the Conference Board reported that chief executive officers became less pessimistic during the first quarter, even as their outlook for employment remained gloomy. Its CEO Confidence measure rose to 30, up from its all-time low of 24 during the final quarter of 2008. The scale runs from zero to 100, with 50 representing an even split of favorable and unfavorable responses.
Twenty-six percent of ceo’s said they expected improvement in their own industries in the next half year, more than double the 12 percent saying the same thing three months earlier. About 17 percent expect general economic conditions to improve in the next six months, up from about 11 percent.
However, less than 3 percent of the ceo’s polled expect growth in employment in their own industries, down from 26 percent a year ago.
“What he has done at Vuitton is really exceptional,” said @gameofthrones’ actress Gwendoline Christie on @mrkimjones’ final show for @louisvuitton. “He has rebooted luxury in terms of making it commercial, viable and contemporary. And most importantly artistic. He has never compromised his artistic vision for the sake of commodity.” (📷: @zefashioninsider)
After seeing a demand for men’s wear from its customers, British contemporary women’s wear label @ariesarise has added a men’s wear component and will launch a unisex collection with @mrporterlive. The 20-piece collection includes jackets, denim, logo T-shirts and more with deconstructed ‘90s vibes. Set to launch on January 18, you can shop the pieces on Aries’ website and on mrporter.com. #wwdfashion
“And so spending so much time with a character who thinks like that, inevitability you try and analyze yourself and go back and think about your own demons and dark chapters that you had in your life,” says @thedanielbruhl of his role in TNT’s “The Alienist.” The show, set in the Gilded Age of New York, also stars Dakota Fanning and Luke Evans. Head to WWD.com to read about how 39-year-old Brühl prepared for the role and why he thinks the show is so relevant to today #wwdeye ( 📷: @Eriktanner)
Now that Celine Dion’s collection has topped $10 million in sales, the pop superstar, fashion icon and newly-minted industry player is eyeing growth in Asia. Read the full report by @tiffanyap, link in bio. #wwdnews #celinedion
“My personal philosophy to beauty is paying attention to oneself. I love to be outdoors, lots of fresh air, trying to take care of yourself as best you can. I always notice that comes through,” says Felicity Jones, the global face of @shiseido-owned @cledepeaubeauteus, which launches today. Head to WWD.com to read more about the actress’ love for beauty and how she prepared for her new role in “The Basis of Sex,” playing the young Ruth Bader Ginsburg. #wwdbeauty (📷: @dandoperalski)
Among the familiar faces at @off____white’s show was a surprise figure: Japanese artist @takashipom, pictured here on Wednesday morning. Other show-goers included @jerrylorenzo, who spoke about his upcoming project: a @nike collaboration for back to school, with designs inspired by his childhood on the West Coast. Sitting in the front row were Future, Don Crawley, @miguel and more. See the rest of the photos on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: Stephane Feugere)
According to @laurentsai, former “Terrace House: Aloha State” cast member, she didn’t know she was auditioning for the Japanese version of “Real World.” “I was telling a couple of my friends and someone’s like, ‘That sounds a lot like Terrace House.’ I was like, ’No it can’t be.’” Turns out, it was. But Tsai isn’t just a reality star — she’s an illustrator who has worked with Starbucks Japan and most recently, she’s dipping her toes into the fashion world. Head to WWD.com to read about her time on the show, modeling and her art. #wwdeye (📷: @danieldorsa)
More changes are coming to New York Fashion Week: Beginning with the spring 2019 collection, @alexanderwangny will move his New York show to June from September, adopting a biannual schedule with collections shown in June and December. Additionally, the @cfda is planning for an official summer/winter fashion season taking place as soon as June and December 2018. Read more about the upcoming changes on WWD.com. #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @slovekinpics)


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China’s durian demand is a godsend for Philippine trade, but for other Asian countries ‘durian diplomacy’ raises concerns
- Chinese consumers are enjoying unprecedented access to the Southeast Asian delicacy known for its intense smell and unique taste, thanks to recent bilateral agreement
- But the emergence of ‘durian diplomacy’ has some Asean countries turning up their nose at what they see as political manoeuvring that could eventually backfire
More than 900km southeast of Manila, Davao City is dubbed “Durian Capital of the Philippines”. With the volcanic soil of Mount Apo said to give the pungent “king of fruit” a unique flavour, the region accounts for almost 80 per cent of all durians grown in the country.
But now, even the local durian market in Davao is in short supply, as large amounts of the existing harvests have been reserved for China.
It all began with a new bilateral agreement signed between the two countries in early January, following the state visit of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to Beijing, which opened China’s door to fresh Philippine durians for the first time.
“China, because of their population, is a really significant destination for exports,” said Faye Oguio, operator of a three-hectare (7.4-acre) durian farm in Davao.
But at the same time, the news also frayed nerves in neighbouring countries, including Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, especially as many observers have been increasingly ascribing political significance to the durian trade – despite being a tiny entry in the trillion-US-dollar annual trade between China and Southeast Asia.
With a putrid smell and thorny rind, the tropical fruit is an indigenous fruit of Southeast Asia, but China is its biggest market, where cakes and pastries made with durian have deep roots in the nation’s cooking culture.
“Durian is a fruit that can represent the identity of Southeast Asia,” said Xie Kankan, assistant professor of Southeast Asian Studies at Peking University.
“So, the durian trade has more cultural and symbolic meanings, as it signifies the special relations between China and the region, which can be different from the simple economic engagement that it has with the West,” Xie explained.
In the past year, China’s opening up of its market to more countries for fresh durians has been popularly labelled “durian diplomacy”, spurred by both the growing appetite of Chinese durian lovers and Beijing’s wish to cement its ties with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) amid rising tensions with the United States, according to pundits.
For Zhejiang-based fruit importer Huang Dapeng, his durian business allowed him to experience first-hand how the demand from Chinese consumers has exploded, as the sales of his company, TC Durian, have maintained an annual growth rate of more than 50 per cent over the past five years.
“When we first invested in this business seven years ago, only people in Guangdong province and Hong Kong ate durian. But now, Chinese consumers across the country, from south to north, from women to children, all like durian,” said Huang, whose company’s annual sales revenue has reached 50 million yuan (US$7.4 million).
In 2022, China imported more than 824,000 tonnes of fresh durians, valued at more than US$4 billion. That was nearly four times the volume seen in 2017, and seven times the value, according to data from China Customs.
But for a long time, Thailand had been the absolute beneficiary of this fast-growing market, as only fresh durians from the country were allowed to be imported into China, while a smaller high-end market share was dominated by frozen durians from Malaysia. The monopoly was only broken in September, when Beijing approved 51 durian growers and 25 durian-packaging companies from Vietnam to export fresh crops to China.
Vietnam’s land border with China makes trade less difficult, which further enhances the competitiveness of its durians – of which the freshness is key to their quality, according to Jack Nguyen, a partner at the business advisory firm Mazars in Ho Chi Minh City.
“Vietnam grows a lot, so they need to export some of the crop,” he said.
Nguyen Thanh Trung, a political scientist at Fulbright University Vietnam, said the green light from China reflects its established inclination to improve diplomatic relations with other countries by choosing something in which China and its partners have deep converging interests.
“Durian exports to China would be something big in Vietnam, not because durian is a high-value export fruit, but because it signifies that China’s huge market is lifting its gate open for more imports of Vietnam’s agricultural products through official channels, not via informal border trade,” he said.
He said it would also help Vietnamese farmers – who account for a big portion of the country’s population – eye China as a potential market for other agricultural products.
In less than four months, the Philippines became China’s third approved fresh-durian exporter. A local agriculture official said the industry is expected to generate about US$150 million in income during the first year of trade with China, along with 9,696 direct jobs and 1,126 indirect jobs, according to the Philippine New Agency.
It is expected that more Southeast Asian countries will be added to China’s list of sources of durian imports, and now Chinese investments are flocking to these countries to build up more efficient local supply chains, said Huang, the Zhejiang importer. His company invested in packaging factories in Vietnam last year and is planning to expand into the Philippines and Cambodia later this year.
“In a broader picture, China demonstrates that they are a reliable and useful behemoth amid the increasing US-China competition in the [Southeast Asia] region,” said Nguyen from Fulbright University.
Li Mingjiang, assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said no Southeast Asian countries want to choose between the US and China.
“For now, certainly, they don’t have to choose, because there’s still a lot of room for them to manoeuvre,” Li said.
Li added that, while durian is just a very small part of the strong economic relationship between Southeast Asia and China, it can have some political implications, as robust economic ties highlight the importance of stable diplomatic relations.
Last year, Asean and China were each other’s biggest trade partners, with their total trade value reaching US$975.3 billion, according to China Customs data.
Accompanying the excitement of Vietnamese and Filipino farmers and exporters, following Beijing’s green light, were worries from Thailand and Malaysia.
“With the Philippines getting approval to export durians to China, Malaysia is at greater risk of losing market share,” said Haris Shaiful Bahari, a trade and economics researcher at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Malaysia.
But one advantage that the two long-time market players have is much less spillover risk from politics, according to experts.
Philippine durians can be used as a political symbol of bilateral relations, which China can use as leverage, said Andrea Chloe Wong, a former senior analyst at the Philippines’ Foreign Service Institute.
“Previously, China used Filipino bananas to also make a political point,” said Wong, who holds a PhD in political science from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
At the height of the bilateral tensions between the two countries during the Scarborough Shoal stand-off in 2012, Beijing imposed tighter controls and restricted imports of bananas from the Philippines, alleging that they had mealybugs.
Given that both Vietnam and the Philippines are engaged in territorial disputes in the South China Sea with China, they could be vulnerable if Beijing decides to punish them via trade, said Xie from Peking University.
“In fact, any excessive dependence on a single market will make the entire industry very weak. So, they are worried – if China is unhappy and suddenly stops importing durian, what will [Filipinos] do with them? They would be left to rot,” Xie said. “Thailand and Malaysia don’t have these concerns, as they don’t have such political disputes with China.”
Despite their soaring popularity in recent years, durians are far from a necessity for Chinese people, according to Jay Zhong, a durian importer in Guangdong.
“Durian is the same as the Australian rock lobster,” Zhong said, pointing to the crustacean that was once a staple delicacy at Chinese wedding banquets and parties. Beijing unofficially banned it along with other commodities, including copper, coal and wine, amid simmering political tensions with Canberra in late 2020. The bans have yet to been formally reversed, though Trade Minister Don Farrell reportedly told the Australian Broadcasting Corp last week that Beijing had not rejected a recent application by Australia for fresh lobster exports to China, hinting at a thaw in relations.
“No one can easily forgo the biggest piece of cake,” Zhong said of the Chinese market.


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(AP) — Kraft Heinz announced Tuesday it is recalling more than 83,000 cases of individually wrapped Kraft Singles Processed American Cheese slices because part of the packaging could stick to the slice and pose a choking hazard.
The company, based in Chicago and Pittsburgh, said one of its packaging machines developed a temporary problem that allows a thin strip of film to remain on the edge even after it is removed from the package. The machine has since been repaired.
Kraft Heinz said it initiated the voluntary recall after receiving several complaints from consumers. In six cases, people said the problem caused nausea or choking, but no injuries or serious health problems were reported, Kraft Heinz said.
The recall involves the 16-ounce Kraft Singles American pasteurized prepared cheese product with a best before date between January 10, 2024 and January 27, 2024. The recall also includes 3-pound multi-packs of Kraft Singles American. Pasteurized prepared cheese product with an expiration date between January 9, 2024 and January 13, 2024.
Consumers who purchased these products should not consume them and should return them to the store where they were purchased for an exchange or refund, Kraft Heinz said. Consumers can also contact Kraft Heinz at 1-800-280-8252 to see if a product is part of the recall and receive a refund.
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